Glenville Walmart to accept online purchases using SNAP - Times Union

FILE- In this Feb. 22, 2018, file photo a shopper loads her car after shopping at a Walmart in Pittsburgh. Walmart will be rolling out a program that allows its staff to check out customers and provide receipts right on the spot in the busiest sections of the store. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File) less

FILE- In this Feb. 22, 2018, file photo a shopper loads her car after shopping at a Walmart in Pittsburgh. Walmart will be rolling out a program that allows its staff to check out customers and provide receipts ... more
Photo: Gene J. Puskar

Photo: Gene J. Puskar

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FILE- In this Feb. 22, 2018, file photo a shopper loads her car after shopping at a Walmart in Pittsburgh. Walmart will be rolling out a program that allows its staff to check out customers and provide receipts right on the spot in the busiest sections of the store. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File) less

Photo: Gene J. Puskar

Glenville

Shoppers in the Capital Region will for the first time be able to use government assistance benefits, like SNAP, to select and pay for groceries from a Glenville Walmart online.

The store was selected as part of a two-year pilot program that was launched in New York state earlier this week by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

SNAP recipients typically must pay for eligible items in-store, but now will be able to use their benefits online as part of Walmart's Grocery Pickup service.

"People who receive SNAP benefits should have the opportunity to shop for food the same way more and more Americans shop for food – by ordering and paying for groceries online," Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said in a statement. "As technology advances, it is important for SNAP to advance too, so we can ensure the same shopping options are available for both non-SNAP and SNAP recipients."

While Walmart is testing the program at its location on 200 Dutch Meadows Lane, Amazon and ShopRite will be providing service for the program in New York City. Amazon said it would work with USDA to expand coverage to other areas.

The pilot program will test for both ordering and payment, but SNAP recipients will not be able to use their benefits to pay for delivery or service charges.

The 2014 Farm Bill authorized the USDA to implement the pilot program for online purchasing to ensure online transactions can be processed safely before the program expands nationwide.

The pilot will eventually expand to other parts of New York, as well as Alabama, Iowa, Maryland, Nebraska, New Jersey, Oregon and Washington.

In January, over 2.7 million New Yorkers received SNAP benefits, and a USDA study showed that in 2016, over 12 percent of households in the 20th Congressional District — which encompasses Albany, Troy, Schenectady and Saratoga Springs — received SNAP.

Nationwide, over 38 million people participate in the government assistance program, and in 2017, the vast majority of SNAP benefits — nearly $52 billion — were spent at superstores and supermarkets, like Walmart, according to USDA data.

"Access to convenience and to quality, fresh groceries shouldn't be dictated by how you pay," Walmart said in a statement. "This pilot program is a great step forward and we are eager to expand this to customers in other states where we already have a great online grocery business."

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